The Woodlands Children’s Museum celebrates 15 years of education and entertainment

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Though The Woodlands Children’s Museum is officially celebrating its 15th anniversary this weekend, in truth its origins extend much farther into the past.

The museum was first conceived of in 2001 when its 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization status was granted. The museum was originally started by a mothers’ group who saw the need for a children’s museum that wasn’t smack dab in the middle of Houston. For the first few years, it served as a small mobile museum. It was difficult in those early, burgeoning days to maintain a steady return audience, but good news landed in 2005 when a temporary venue was secured at Market Street.

With roots set down for a bit, memberships grew. Unfortunately, as part of the growth of the retail sector in The Woodlands, an anchor store came to the outdoor market and bumped the museum from its spot. Refusing to lose its momentum, a lease was negotiated with The Woodlands Mall.

Flash forward to 2008, with the museum secure in the mall and Angela Colton named as its executive director. At this point, the venue was at its most popular point to date; unfortunately, once again a retail store took over the space, and in October of 2009 the museum was once again on the move as yet another venue was desperately sought.

Finally, in July of 2010, a deal was struck with the leasing entity at Panther Creek Village Center, and the museum opened yet again its latest – and current – iteration.

Executive director Angela Colton talked with Woodlands Online about the museum, its history, and its current celebrations marking the fifteenth year in the Panther Creek location.

“We aspire to fulfill the need of our part in the community; our eye is on making a difference in kids’ lives. If we focus, we’ll just keep getting better and better,” she told Woodlands Online.

Colton and her staff are firm believers in bringing back old-style fun. The in-museum stage is frequently filled with magicians, musicians, puppets, actors, readers, authors, and more.

“My amazing staff make it all happen, and it’s fun to run it,” she said. “We have a round table of knights who believe in the mission of educating, empowering, and exciting children and their families through play.”

Over the years, the museum has relied on and enjoyed community support. “Our growth has been amazing and it falls in line with our predictions. Our revenue and visitor base have both been growing. After COVID hit, we bounced back after only five months; some places took years – if ever – to come back from something like that. This told us in no uncertain terms that the community needed us to provide for them,” Colton told Woodlands Online.

One aspect of The Woodlands Children’s Museum that might surprise those who don’t know, the facility has a preschool for kids aged five. The school, now in its third year, operated on the Reggio Emilia-inspired curriculum, which emphasizes child-led, project-based learning within a thoughtfully designed environment. The curriculum is rooted in the belief that children are active, curious learners with multiple ways of expressing themselves. This approach prioritizes the child’s interests, fostering a collaborative environment where teachers act as facilitators and co-learners.

The preschool class, which lasts for a single year, has two schedules: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays. The student to teacher ratio is 12-to-1, not counting the teacher’s assistant.

“We’re honored to have been named the Best Camp for the second year in a row with the Woodlands Online ‘Best of The Woodlands’ competition,” said Colton. “It’s also been intriguing to see people who used to come to us in the early days as children now returning as adults with their own children. The second generation of our patronage is already happening.”

The museum is marking its 15th year with a celebration taking place this Saturday, July 12 with a full day of events and activities. Local kids’ musician Joe McDermott – a favorite at the museum – will perform. Kids will get to work on crafts by creating birthday hats and a cupcake art project. There will be cake, and treats will be provided by local Kroger stores.

“It’s rare to have a museum like ours last for fifteen years in a strip center,” said Colton. “Our success has made us curious to other such children’s museums throughout the nation, and we frequently find ourselves consulting with them. We love our job here; we get to wake up every day and think like a child.”